Clutch mechanism for knitting machines



July 18, 1961 H. E. HAEHNEL 2,992,549

CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 2, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet1 FlG.l

2/ W 72 Z6 25 I l G 22 5 A A J 7 7 I -22 A? t 1 I Y FIG.2

IN V EN TOR. Herbert Hae/me/ JZZORNEY July 18, 1961 H. E. HAEHNEL CLUTCHMECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 2, 1959INVENTOR- Herberfi E Hae/me/ BY W ATTOAMS) ates Unite The presentinvention relates to full fashioned knitting machines and moreparticularly to an improved clutch mechanism adapted to disengage andengage the coulier mechanism from the main camshaft of such machines.

In flat full-fashioned hosiery machines of the general type referred to,the motions of the several cooperating instrumentalities for theperformance of normal knitting and auxiliary loop transferringoperations are derived from separate sets of cams on the main camshaft,a lengthwise shiftingof the shaft through the medium of shifting camsbeing employed to bring one or the other of the sets of cams intooperative position during continued operation of the machine. Theshifting occurs during a predetermined angle of rotation of the camshaftwhich conventionally is 52.

In order that the usual slur cams for operating the sinkers and yarncarrier operating means may be rendered idle during narrowing or otherloop transferring operations, and may again be brought back intooperation to be driven in synchronous relationship with the camshaft, itis the usual practice to drive the coulier cam, forming part of thecoulier mechanism which is the motion transmitting means to these parts,from the main camshaft through a single tooth clutch.

The clutch includes a driven member held in fixed position axially ofthe machine but rotatable on the camshaft and a driving member rotatableand shiftable with the camshaft. The driving member is provided with aspring pressed driving pin or tooth adapted to enter an elongated recessin the driven member when the camshaft is shifted to the loop formingposition and, upon contact with the forward wall of the recess, torotate the driven member. It is essential that the tooth of the drivingmember penetrate the notch to a predetermined depth both to insure anefficient driving engagement and, also upon shifting of the camshaft toloop transferring position, to insure disengagement of the driving anddriven members at a predetermined point in the rotation of the drivenmember to stop the coulier cam at a predetermined point. To this end inthe conventional machine the parts are so proportioned that, as thecamshaft is shifted longitudinally into loop forming position, the toothreaches its predetermined depth of penetration as, or before, itcontacts the forward wall of the recess. When attempts were made tospeed up the machine requiring the driving of the camshaft at higherrotational speeds it was found that it was necessary to lengthen thecamshaft shifting cams resulting in an increase in the angle of rotationof the camshaft during the shifting action to approximately 73 and aconsequent lengthening of the spiral path traveled by the clutch tooth.Inasmuch as the timing of the shifting and clutch opening and closingoperations are fixed by other factors and could not be changed the toothdid not penetrate the notch to the proper depth before it contacted theforward wall of the recess resulting in either failure of engagement ofthe clutch members or their ineflicient engagement and consequent faultyoperation of the machine.

The principal object of the invention is the provision in such a machineof an improved clutch which will insure proper engagement anddisengagement of the clutch members irrespective of the speed ofoperation of the machine.

" atent Another object of the invention is the provision of an improvedclutch construction including means for advancing the spring pressedtooth of the driving member beyond its normal projection and a limitingmember to adjust the projection of the tooth to a predetermined normaloperating projection as the tooth enters into driving engagement withthe driven member during shifting of the camshaft.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a clutchmechanism as described above in which the spring pressed tooth is heldlocked in normal operating position when the clutch members are indriving engagement and during release of the clutching action, and inwhich the lock is thereafter released for the forward projection of thetooth in preparation for re-engagement of the clutch members.

The projection of the tooth of the driven member beyond its normalposition when re-engagement of the clutch members is to occur enablesthe tooth member to enter the recess of the driven member at an earlystage in the shifting of the camshaft thereby in effect shortening thespiral path it must travel to reach its proper depth of penetration ofthe recess, such proper depth being determined by the limiting member.The return of the tooth to its normal operating position by the limitingmember and the locking of the tooth in such position duringdisengagement of the clutch members insures completion of disengagementand stopping of the couliering action at a predetermined and fixed pointin the rotation of the camshaft.

With these objects in view, and others which will become apparent fromthe following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of theinvention shown in the accompanying drawings, my invention resides inthe novel elements, features of construction and arrangements of partsin cooperative relationship .as hereinafter more particularly pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a full-fashionedknitting machine showing a clutch mechanism according to the inventionfor connecting in driving relation the camshaft and coulier mechanism ofsuch machines;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational View of the mechanism as viewed from theright of FIG. 1, parts being shown in cross section;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged View of a portion of the mechanism of FIG. 1showing the driving and driven portions of the clutch in disengagedposition;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional View taken. substantially along the line '77of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along theline 88 of FIG 2.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2there is shown one of a series of transverse center frames 10, a frontbeam 11 and a back beam 12 forming part of the usual framework of afull-fashioned knitting machine. Supported by the framework is acamshaft 15 which is arranged to be driven continuously in one directionduring machine operation, and is further arranged to be shifted axiallybetween knitting and narrowing positions. As shown in FIG. 1, thecamshaft is in the position of normal knitting whereby a clutchmechanism 16 is employed to drive the coulier mechanism of the machinefrom the camshaft 15 through a pair of bevel gears 17 and '18 and aconventional coulier cam (not shown). The shifting of the camshaft fromleft to right, as shown in FIG. 3, acts to bring into operative positionthe usual narrowing cams for the performance of the usual narrowing orsimilar loop transferring operations and to disconnect the clutch 16 tointerrupt the operation of the couliering means. It will be under stoodthat the shifting of the camshaft from knitting to narrowing positionand back to knitting position again occurs, as is well known in the art,during a single revolution of the camshaft and is controlled in theusual manner through camshaft shifting cams and automatic mechanismactuated from the pattern chain (not shown) of the machine.

The bevel gear 17, acting as a driving gear for the coulier mechanism,is mounted for free rotation on the camshaft '15 and is maintained inmeshing engagament with the gear 18 forming a part of the coulier driveby a collar 21 adjustably secured on a transverse carrying frame 22.,which in turn is secured to the front and back beams 11 and 12,respectively. The collar 21 is arranged to ride in a groove 25 formed inthe hub portions 26 of the driving gear 17.

The clutch mechanism 16 is of the single tooth type comprisingcooperating male and female members 27 and 28, respectively. The femalemember 28 is formed as an integral part of the driving gear 17 and isprovided with a recess 31 formed concentrically to the camshaft 15 andterminating in radially extending shoulders 3-2 and 33 (FIG. 4). Themale member 27 is secured to the camshaft 15 to rotate therewith and isprovided with a driving pin or tooth 36 and a locking pin 37 for thepurpose of engaging the shoulders 32 and 33, respectively, of the recess31 in the member 28 when the members 27 and 28 are in interlocked ordriving relation. The pins 36 and 37 and their mountings are generallysimilar and like parts have been given the same reference characters.Thus each comprises a projecting tooth portion 41 and a shank portion 41which is received in a circular recess 42 (FIG. 6) formed in the member27. A compression spring 45 (FIGS. 7 and 8), cnfined within each recess42 and seated between a plate 46 secured in the member 27 and a shoulder47 formed by a recess 50 within the shank portion 41 of the pin,maintains the tooth portion 46 of the pin 36 or 37 in a projectedposition whereby a flat 51, formed on the tooth portion and lying in aplane radial to the camshaft 15, provides a surface contact whenengaging its adjacent shoulder 32 or 33 of the recess 31 in the member28.

To limit the extent of projection of the pins and also to prevent theirrotation each of the pins has a shoulder 52 (FIG. 7) defined by the flat51, engaging a plate 55 also secured to the member 27. Should for anyreason the camshaft 15 be accidentally shifted back to normal positionat the time when a narrowing or other loop transferring operation isdesired, but more specifically at a point shortly after the drive pin 36and shoulder 32 have been disengaged, the drive pin 36 would bedepressed by, and ride on, the face 56 (FIGS. 3 and 4) of the member 28,but the locking pin 37 would then engage the shoulder. To prevent thepin 37 from driving the member 23 in such event it is provided with abeveled flat 57 (FIGS. 3 and so as to ride off the shoulder 32 and bedepressed by the face- 56 of the member 28 until the drive pin 36 hasagain made proper contact with the shoulder 32. It will be understoodfrom the above description that the pin 36 performs the driving functionand pin 37 serves only as a stabilizer. Hence the clutch is referred toas a single tooth clutch.

The foregoing description is of the clutch construction 7 conventionallyemployed in machines of the type referred to. In accordance with theinstant invention means are provided to project the driving pin or tooth36 beyond its normal position so that upon shifting of the camshaft fromright to left as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3 the tooth will enter the recess31 at an earlier point than it would otherwise, to depress the pin toits normal projection, to

lock the tooth in its usual position until the camshaft is again shiftedto the right, and to thereafter release the locking means to againproject the tooth to its advanced position, all for the purposespreviously pointed out.

Thus according to the present invention plate 55 is provided with acutout 81 adapted to permit the projection of the driving pin 36 beyondits normal position at certain times under the pressure of compressionspring 45. At other times it is maintained in its normal operatingposition as shown in FIG. 7 by one arm 60 (FIG. 6) of a lever 61pivotally mounted on a shouldered stud 62 secured in the member 27. Thearm 60 passes through a slot 65 formed in the member 27, and engages ashoulder 66 (FIG. 8) of a notch 67 formed in the shank portion 41 of thepin 36. The arm 60 is yieldably held in the notch 67 for engagement withthe shoulder 66 by a flat spring 70, secured to the member 27 by a screw71, the spring acting on a second arm 72 of the lever 61 to bias it inclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 6. The extent of engagement of arm60 with the shoulder 66 is determined by a foot portion 75, formed atthe extremity of arm 69, resting on the bottom surface 76 of the slot65. Arm 60 and the inner end of pin 36 are provided with cammingsurfaces 63 and 64, respectively, to assist in resetting the look aswill be described. The lever 61 is arranged to be momentarily rotated onthe stud 62 to release the arm 60 from engagement with the shoulder 66by a roller 77 rotatably mounted on a bracket 80 (FIG. 2) secured to theback beam 12 in a position to lie in the circular path of travel of arm72 when the camshaft has been shifted to loop transferring position. Onthe other hand in the knitting position of the camshaft the position ofthe roller 77 in relation to the arm 72 is such that the arm will missthe roller as it rotates with the clutch member "27 and camshaft.

An adjustable set screw 82 is mounted within recess 31 adjacent shoulder32, the head of the set screw serving as an abutment or limiting memberto limit the penetration of the driving pin 36 into the recess as willhereinafter be described.

The operation of the clutch mechanism, as applied to a high speedmachine in which the angle of rotation of the camshaft during shiftingof the shaft between loop forming and loop transferring positions hasbeen increased to approximately 73, will now be described starting withthe parts in the operating position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. -In suchposition the camshaft 15 has been shifted to the right or looptransferring position, the clutch members 27 and 28- disengaged, and thedrive pin 36 is still locked in its normal operating position by the arm60 of the lever 61. Also in this position of the camshaft the arm 72 andthe lever 61 has been moved into alignment with the roller 77 (see FIG.3). Thereupon as the camshaft continues to rotate during its single turnin the narrowing cycle, arm 72 will be brought into contact with roller77 and momentarily rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 6, by theroller to disengage arm 66 from the shoulder 66 and release pin 36 to beprojected beyond its normal operating position by the spring 45, namelyuntil the shoulder 52 engages the plate 55 at the cutout portion 81. Asthe arm 72 passes roller 77 the spring 71} again biases the lever 61clockwise, as viewed in FIG. '6, to re-engage the foot portion 75 withthe surface 76 with the arm 66 lying to the rear of the projected pin36. V 7

During the shifting of the camshaft to its loop forming position, to theleft in FIG. 3, the pin 36, traveling in a spiral path set up by thecombined rotative and axial movements of the shaft, enters recess 31 andas it continues in such path contacts the head of stud 82 shortly beforeit reaches shoulder 32. This is brought about by the extra extension ofthe pin 36. However inasmuch as the camshaft, due to its shiftingrequiring an increased angle of rotation, has not been completelyshifted by this time, as it completes its movement to the left pin 36 isdepressed within its recess 42 against the action of spring 45, and theinteraction of cam faces 63 and 64 pushes the arm 60 outwardly where itis held until the pin is depressed sufficiently to permit arm 60 toswing inwardly behind shoulder 66 under the load of spring 70. At thistime the pin is again in its normal operating position.

When the camshaft is shifted to the right into loop transferringposition the pin 36 is retained in normal operating position by thelatch structure, comprising the arm 60 and shoulder 66, until the clutchhas been disengaged and arm 72 again brought into contact with roller77.

It will be understood that the improvement specifically shown anddescribed by which the above described results may be obtained, can bechanged and modified in various ways without departing from the scope ofthe invention disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

1 claim:

1. In a knitting machine including a clutch comprising driving anddriven members relatively shiftable between engaged and disengagedpositions during rotational movement of one of said members, a toothhaving a normal operating position carried by one of said members and arecess in the other of said members defining an abutment forinterengagement with said tooth when said tooth is within said recess,the improvement comprising means to project said tooth to an advancedposition beyond said operating position, a limiting member in the pathof movement of said tooth during relative shifting of said members in aclutch engaging direction to depress said tooth to its normal operatingposition, and means to lock said tooth in its normal operating positionwhen depressed by said limiting member.

2. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 1 means to release saidlocking means when said clutch members are disengaged.

3. In a knitting machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said toothcomprises a pin having a shoulder thereon and there is a spring biasingsaid pin to said advanced position and there is a stop for contact withsaid shoulder to define said advanced position.

4. In a knitting machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said tooth iscarried by said driving member and said locking means comprisescooperating means on said driving member and said tooth.

5. In a knitting machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said toothcomprises a pin carried by said driving member, and said locking meanscomprises a lever having an arm swingable into and out of lockingengagement with said pin, and a second arm, and there is means on saidmachine in the path of movement of said second arm when said clutch isdisengaged to depress said second arm and disengage said first arm fromsaid pin.

6. In a knitting machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said limitingmember comprises an adjustable abutment member in said recess.

7. In a knitting machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said limitingmember comprises an adjustable abutment member in said recess, saidtooth is carried by said driving member and comprises a spring pressedpin having a forward end for contact with said abutment member and anotch adjacent the rear end thereof, and said locking means comprises alever having an arm for holding engagement in said notch and springmeans to bias said arm toward said notch.

8. In a fullfashioned knitting machine including a camshaft, means forshifting said shaft between loop forming and loop transferringpositions, a coulier mechanism, means to drive said coulier mechanismfrom said camshaft when said camshaft is in loop forming position, saidlast named means comprising a clutch including a driven member in fixedposition on said machine and a driving member carried by said camshaftfor shifting movement therewith, said driven and driving membersincluding a shoulder and a spring pressed tooth respectively forinterengagement when said shaft is shifted to loop forming position,said tooth having a normal operating position, the improvementcomprising means for projecting said tooth beyond said normal operatingposition when said driving and driven members are disengaged, means inthe path of movement of said tooth during engagement of said driving anddriven members for depressing said tooth to its normal operatingposition, means to lock said tooth in its normal operating position andmeans to release said locking means when said driving and driven membersare disengaged.

9. In a knitting machine as defined in claim 8 wherein said toothcomprises a pin spring biased toward said driven member and said lockingmeans comprises a notch in said pin and a lever carried by said drivingmember having an arm received within said notch, a second arm, and meansbiasing said first arm toward said notch, and said releasing meansincludes means in the path of movement of said second arm formomentarily depressing said second arm. I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS801,984 Janssen Oct. 17, 1905 1,129,940 Zwicky Mar. 2, 1915 2,281,702Lieberknecht May 5, 1942 2,592,819 Moessinger Apr. 15, 1952 2,613,781Polomski et al Oct. 14, 1952

